Flowers
by Wiccagirl24
Summary: She had her nose buried in a bouquet of flowers. Not his flowers, and he didn't like that.GarrettLily


Disclaimer: Like so much else in life, Crossing Jordan does not belong to me. Sad, I know.

Spoilers: Anything season six is fair game. Takes place a week after "Total Recall"

A/N: This is my first attempt at writting Garrett and Lily, but this weeks episode was frustrating me, so I had to fix it. Un beta'd, because none of my betas watch CJ.

xxx

He asked her on a date, finally. It had taken him weeks to gather his courage, but once he had, he did it right. Asked her one day at the office, when she was sitting at her desk eating lunch. She had said yes, of course. This morning there had been a bouquet of flowers waiting for her when she came into work. She had been stealing glances at them all day. Little peeks between reports and phone calls. There is a brief lull now that the day was almost over, and she took the moment to lean into the flowers. Soft petals brushed against her cheeks as the smell of spring filled her nose.

A sharp cough sounded in front of her, alerting Lily to the fact that she wasn't alone. Pushing the flowers away, she looked up to find Garrett Macy watching her. She felt a blush stain her cheeks; whether it was from being caught in such a whimsical moment or from the sight of Dr. Macy in a black leather jacket and jeans, she couldn't say.

"Nice flowers."

"Thanks. There from... they are... thanks." She stumbled over the words, not sure what to say. "Did you need something, Dr. Macy?"

"No. I'm going home."

"Good. Well, that's... good night." She couldn't seem to get a single sentence out without tripping over it. Things had been a little awkward between them the last few weeks, since the letter from her brother had come. Not as bad as it had been a couple years ago, when he had gone back to his ex-wife, but still strained.

"So what's the occasion?" Macy asked, gesturing at the flowers. Lily didn't expect the question, and stared at him for a moment before answering.

"Prelude to dinner on Saturday." She smiled, couldn't help it. It was the first date she'd been asked on in almost a year, and it felt good to flirt and daydream, and know that she was attractive to someone.

Garrett saw the smile, and was surprised at the wave of resentment he felt. Not for Lily. She deserved to be happy. Happy, joyful, lighthearted and more. No it was the man who had put the smile there that he resented. Garrett had seen him around the office a few times lately. Short and jittery, like he had one too many cups of coffee. And wasn't there something last week about a bet he was trying to win, involving time of death? Not the right kind of person for Lily, not at all. She needed someone calmer, more mature. Someone like... no, he wasn't going there. He had had his chance, and ruined it spectacularly. Realizing that he had been standing in one place for too long, Garrett forced his lips into a tight smile.

"Good night, Lily."

"Good night, Dr. Macy."

He turned and left, eating up the distance between Lily's desk and the elevator with long strides. He resisted the impulse to press the down button more then once in his desire to escape from the office. Daring a glance over his shoulder, he could see that Lily's nose was once again buried in the flowers. Would she be just as entranced if the flowers had been a gift from him?

The ding of the elevator let him know that his ride had arrived. His bike was parked in the garage, and all he had to do was take the elevator down, get on his bike, and go home. Tonight seemed like a good night for a Bessie Smith record and a couple fingers of good scotch. Just as the doors were about to close, though, he remembered a conversation from a week ago. 'Everyone is dispensable, disposable and expendable. We are all replaceable.' He had been talking about a teacher, gone missing ten years ago, but really he had been speaking about himself.

Now, though, he had the sudden urge to prove himself wrong. Resolved, he stepped out of the elevator and retraced his steps back to Lily's desk.

"Don't go." He phrased it as an order, afraid that if his voice was softer it would sound like a plea.

"What?" She sat up quickly, startled first by his appearance and then by his words.

"Saturday. Your date with Norman..."

"His name is..."

"It doesn't matter. Don't go out with him. Come with me instead." It was hard to say who was more surprised by the request. Until the words were out of his mouth, Garrett didn't know what he was going to say. Lily sat frozen, her hand still on the side of the vase.

"Dr. Macy I..."

"Garrett," he said. It had been a long time since she called him Garrett, at least out loud. In the office it was always 'Dr. Macy,' though she had not been 'Miss Lebowski' for some time now.

"You can't do this, Garrett." She took care to enunciate each syllable of his name. "I need to have a life outside this office."

"I'm not trying to stop that. I just want to be in it." It had taken most of the summer to realize that fact. Three months without seeing her, when he was used to her presence nearly every day. Even now, though, he had trouble admitting it. He wasn't a man used to sharing his feelings.

"We tried that already, remember?" It still hurt, when she thought of it. Not what happened, so much as what could have. If their handful of dates had been the start of something instead of the end of anything but a working relationship.

"I know, and I'm sorry. All I'm asking for, though, is a second chance. Not even that. One evening." He could see it in his head perfectly. Her in a dress, shawl draped over her shoulders to ward of the late autumn chill. Dinner at a small italian restaurant, the candle on the table making her skin glow.

"I don't know, Garrett."

"Will you think about it?"

She nodded, and the quickness of her response reassured him.

"Works done for the day. Grab your purse and I'll give you a ride home."

"That's okay. I have my car." She needed space the think, to wonder what this meant to her, and to them.

"I have an extra helmet. The leaves on the trees along the Charles are changing colors. Come see what they look like from the back of a bike." Once again he turned towards the elevator, holding his breath until he heard the click click of Lily's shoes follow him down the hall. When the elevator arrived he held the doors open and let Lily walk in front of him. His last glimpse of the office before the doors closed was of a lone bouquet of flowers sitting neglected on Lily's desk.

The End


End file.
